Scalloped Potatoes

Easy1 hour 20 minsVegetarian

Learn how to make creamy, cheesy, delicious scalloped potatoes with this simple recipe. It’s always a crowd pleaser!

I know that most of you probably have your Easter dinner menus all planned out and grocery-shopped already. But just in case there are any procrastinators out there (ahem, like me), I thought I’d sneak one more recipe in before the big day. Because somehow in five years of blogging, I still have never a recipe for one of my favorite holiday side dishes, and it’s about freaking time.

In my world, these spuds are a non-negotiable part of Easter dinner. You’ve gotta make a ham, devil up some eggs, bake some carrots into a cake, and — if you’re feeling fancy — maybe even decorate some truffles for dessert. But without fail, the dish that always has everyone coming back for seconds is that irresistibly creamy, cheesy, garlicky pan of scalloped potatoes. I’ve never met a person who doesn’t go crazy over this dish.

However.

While I’m a traditionalist with serving scalloped potatoes on Easter, I don’t stick with the traditional recipe that’s usually overflowing with cups of heavy cream, gobs of butter, and pounds of starchy Russet potatoes. No offense to any traditionalists out there, but I can make a healthier version of this rich and creamy and cheesy dish with a few simple tweaks. Let me show you…

First off, the first step to making delicious and velvety scalloped potatoes in my book is to nix the Russet potatoes and replace them with my favorite spuds — Yukon golds. Grab a few pounds of those beauties, and slice them nice and thin so that they will cook through in a baking pan.

Then whip up your sauce. I forgot to snap a pic of the sauce, but let me tell you what’s in

a few tablespoons of butter (instead of an entire stick)

lots of garlic (a healthy flavor booster)

one small onion (for even more flavor)

a few tablespoons of flour (to make a roux and thicken things up)

salt + pepper + fresh thyme (traditional seasonings)

…and a mixture of chicken or veggie stock + low-fat milk (in place of heavy cream)

That last item is key for this recipe. The chicken stock adds extra flavor, the milk makes things nice and creamy, and the roux thickens things up without having to add in tons of heavy cream. Trust me, you won’t even notice the missing cream.

To assemble the casserole, just layer half of your potatoes in a greased baking dish. Pour half of the sauce on top of them, sprinkled with some Parmesan and sharp cheddar. Then layer on the second half of the potatoes, topped with the remaining sauce and cheddar. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake (covered) for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and let the potatoes crisp up (uncovered) for the final 25-30 minutes until they’re soft and cooked through and crispy on top.

The result?

Perfect scalloped potatoes.

I stand by it. These guys are tender on the bottom, slightly crispy on top, bubbling over with creamy and cheesy deliciousness, and irresistibly GOOD. They still won’t win any awards qualifying as “healthy” per se, but hey, they’re still much healthier than many of the recipes that were part of our childhoods, amen?

The other bonus to this recipe? It only requires 15 or so minutes of prep time. So you can spend more of your time on Easter hanging out with your family and friends, and less time tucked away in a steamy kitchen.

Win = WIN.

Hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, and have a meaningful time celebrating the hope of Easter together with those you love!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Melt butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, and saute for 4-5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add garlic and saute for an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Stir in the flour until it is evenly combined and saute for an additional 1-minute. Pour in the stock, and whisk until combined. Add in the milk, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon thyme, and whisk until combined. Continue cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes until the sauce comes to a simmer (not a boil) and thickens. Then remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Then spread half of the sliced potatoes in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Top evenly with half of the cream sauce, the sprinkle evenly with 1 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese, and all of the Parmesan cheese. Top evenly with the remaining sliced potatoes, the remaining half of the cream sauce, and the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese.

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the potatoes are cooked through.

At 55 years old I’d given up on making scalloped potatoes due to the hit or miss experience I’d had. I braved it out and made it for Easter Dinner (gasp) for family (true foodies -gasp again) and they were a SMASH from the grandkids on up to the adults. It was THE most commented about food item I served. My husband’s idea of a good compliment is ‘not bad’. He got up for seconds saying ‘these potatoes are really, really good!’ So yummy I’m making them again today just for the fun of it. Thanks for this recipe!

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — April 5th, 2016 @ 2:27 pm

We’re so glad to hear this recipe worked out well for you Flo! We appreciate you giving it a try and we appreciate your feedback! :)

These are soooooooooooo good!!! I’m a decent baker, but not so much a cook but these were wicked easy to make. I was worried the sauce would break on me but it went perfect. I actually just got done eating these alone for dinner haha. I’ll be good and have a salad but these are really incredible. Thank you so much for sharing.

These all looked and smelled delicious but i couldn’t find yukon potatoes, so i used white/gold potatoes instead and after 1 hour or so in the oven they were still not cooked? i wonder if i should have boiled them before slicing they would cook evenly and be soft and not crunchy and raw. But even after that i really liked the cream sauce and im probably going to use it for pasta one of these days :0

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — April 25th, 2016 @ 5:19 pm

Hi Andrea! Oh no, we’re so sorry to hear that! Hmmm, yukon gold potatoes are creamier and more tender, so it could be that the white/gold potatoes just needed more time, or that they should have been boiled a bit beforehand. We haven’t had any problems with the yukon golds though. We’re glad you enjoyed the sauce! Hopefully you can give this another try with the yukons and it will be better next time!

I’ve made these before – and LOVED them. They were such a hit, and so easy to make! I want to make them again for a potluck, could you make ahead before baking and let it set in the fridge for a few hours? Or would the potatoes get soggy sitting in the sauce? Thanks!

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — May 15th, 2016 @ 5:28 pm

Thanks Sam — we’re so glad to hear that! We wouldn’t really recommend making these ahead of time though, as the potatoes will oxidize and turn greyish brown. :(

I made this for my roommates (I’m a college student) and they went bananas! I made three pans and there is only half a pan left. Amazing recipe that does not demand a lot for busy people like me. I substituted the thyme with oregano and it actually worked out pretty successfully too – bringing a more lady flavor. Thanks so much for sharing!!

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — May 15th, 2016 @ 10:23 pm

We’re so glad these were a hit with your roommates Luci — thanks for giving the recipe a try! :)

I enjoyed your recipe but you should know that your mobile website is so bogged down with intrusive ads that it was actually unusable in the kitchen. Given the option I would not use your website again.

Love ALL of your recipes! Thanks for this one. I have them in the oven right now! Serving with bbq NY strip steak and roasting Brussels sprouts in the oven the last 20 min or so next to these potatoes.

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — May 23rd, 2016 @ 10:24 pm

Thank you for your sweet comment Karen! That meal sounds fantastic, and we hope you enjoy the potatoes! :)

I just put this beautiful potato dishes in the oven. I’m cooking for a father and daughter team. His wife had a baby a month ago and is in the hospital with the sick baby. The rest of the kids, six, are with grandma and grandpa, a total of 8 kids! I want a comfort meal for the dad and oldest daughter, who are missing the rest of the family. Your dish says “comfort”. Thank you.

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — May 27th, 2016 @ 3:29 pm

Oh my goodness, what a handful! And how kind of you to make this for them — we hope they enjoy it! :)

What flour would you use to make this gluten free? Would rice flour work?

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — June 26th, 2016 @ 9:14 am

Hi Chantal! We haven’t experimented with gluten-free floors in this dish but we think your best bets might be to try cornstarch, arrowroot powder, a gluten-free flour blend. You could try rice flour, we’re just not as familiar with that one. We hope this helps!

Do you think this would work with red potatoes? I normally don’t buy them but happen to have a full bag right now. I made this before with yukon gold and absolutely loved it and don’t want to risk compromising the deliciousness :)

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — July 10th, 2016 @ 9:24 pm

Hi Leanne! We think Yukon golds work best for scalloped potatoes (they’re just creamier), but you can definitely use red potatoes if that’s what you have.

Made this today and it was great! Made accordin. To recipe except unused red potatoes as that is what I had. It required longer cooking time due to different potatoes, but this was great! I will make with the Yukon Golds next time, but awesome taste and flavor! Great recipe

I cooked it for an hour and a half. The potatoes are still not done! Why why why???? Every other part of it is delicious but why are the potatoes not done?? I even reheated it the next day hoping the microwave would finish off the potatoes. No! I’m sitting here looking at this dish that looks perfect and smells perfect but the potatoes are not done! So sad.

I would love to make these but need to be at work all day! Wondering if this would work in the crock pot?

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — September 13th, 2016 @ 9:58 am

Hi Tami! Unfortunately we haven’t tried this recipe in a crock pot. There are recipes for crock pot scalloped potatoes out there (like this one), though it’s different because this recipe is more like a gratin (since it’s baked with the milk and has the melted cheese on top). Also, you’d still want to sauté the onion, butter and garlic together beforehand, for maximum flavor. You could try to follow the method in the other recipe, though our recipe calls for more liquid, so we’re not sure how it would turn out. If you do experiment with this, definitely let us know how it turns out!

This recipe is AMAZING! I made it tonight and got rave reviews from my husband and our often testy and opinionated three year old! This will officially be added to the recipe mix and thank you so much for sharing it :-)

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — September 19th, 2016 @ 12:55 pm

Thanks for sharing with us, Chyra — we’re so glad you and your family loved them! :)

At my house if you are going to eat something it should be made from scratch and full of the best flavors. I only had a red onion chopped that up and used it. My husband said these were some of the best scalloped potatoes he has ever had. That is saying a lot from a person that is a food snob.

I tried this recipe for the first time tonight, and I gotta say it was pretty good! I did add my own little twist to it. I didn’t have yukon gold potatoes so I just used regular potatoes but cut them more thinly, and I added some red bell peppers with the onions just for some more veggies. I then added a bit of cooked ground beef on top and it was wonderful! Thank you for the recipe!

I made this last night, they were AMAZING! Everytime I make something new for my boyfriend i ask him “would you want this again or not” before i would ask him, ” did you like it” and he would respond ” not bad”. Not a helpful answer! But last night he said this is really, really good!!! Making this again! only I did different was add diced ham:) Thank you!

I really really wanted this recipe to work but it didn’t. Mine came out watery. I did soak my potatoes in water the night before so it would be easy for me in the morning to cook. I could not find yukon gold potatoes in any of the grocery stores near me so I used red potatoes. I am not sure where I went wrong, please give me some tips!

These are the BEST scalloped potatoes I have ever eaten! I cut the recipe in half because it’s just the two of us and we still have plenty for another meal. I’m not sure if it’s the thyme or the Parmesan cheese that sent them over the top, but I am definitely saving this recipe. A mandolin for slicing the potatoes would have cut down on my prep time.

Hey do you think I could freeze this? Not sure if it’s been asked! If so do I cook it ahead and then freeze or prep and freeze and cook the day of?
Thanks! I’ve made this before and it’s delicious! Making if for a family get together !

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — November 18th, 2016 @ 2:13 pm

Hi Sheryl! You could try to freeze this but we wouldn’t recommend it because of the delicate potatoes and the high dairy content. Dishes with a lot of dairy typically don’t freeze very well and these potatoes would likely get mushy. We hope this helps though and that you enjoy the recipe!

This is a fantastic recipe. It will be my first time making these potatoes and I am confident it will turn out great! I am making therm for Thanksgiving. Do you think it will ruin the texture or cheese sauce if I make them the evening before and refrigerate, then reheat in the oven the next day at 350?

Very nice recipe for scalloped potatoes. I like that you’ve cut the amount of fat and cholesterol for those of us who love these, but really don’t want that much cholesterol. However, where I come from – If scalloped potatoes have cheese in or on them, they’re called Potatoes Au Gratin. Mom never put cheese unless she wanted to call them ‘au gratin’, and she *loved* cheese.
I’m making some of these for my husband and myself for Thanksgiving this year (2016), and since it’s just the 2 of us, I cut the recipe by one third. Soaking the potatoes removes a lot of the natural starch in them. That’s probably why the recipe turned out watery for some who tried it. For potatoes you want to make into hash browns, soaking is how you get them nice and crispy. Perhaps you could work out an amount of roux for those who prefer to soak them first? For those who enjoy these, when making scalloped potatoes I always use my trusty “salad shooter”. It’s about the most handy small appliance in our kitchen for these, and for making home made hash browns, frittadas, etc.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of your recipes, and what you do with them. Mahalo!

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — November 28th, 2016 @ 12:32 pm

Thank you, Meleli — we’re glad you enjoy the recipe, and we appreciate you sharing your tips with us! :)

Tried these the other day. My whole family enjoyed them. I think this is the best scalloped potatoes recipe I have tried. My husband even commented about how good they were, and asked what I did differently.

I’m non dairy so although I loved scalloped potatoes I haven’t had these since all this intolerance happened after very nasty cancer op . So looking at your tweaking I’m wondering if I couldn’t tweak more ! Using almond milk and cornflour to thicken instead of the usual roux method . I’m not sure how to replace the cheesy aspect so I might just see how much I CAN tolerate .
Thanks gifbputting scalloped pots back on my menu . I have no problem with starchy Russets and we don’t see Yukon gold over in Uk so I’ll carry in using those .. pics to come . I’ll let you know how that works out . The almond milk is very creamy anyway .

Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven — December 8th, 2016 @ 9:41 pm

We’re glad you enjoyed these, Steph! You could try the almond milk and cornflour, and you could use a vegan cheese, or just cut back on the amount of regular cheese you use. You could also use a lactose-free milk, such as Lactaid. We hope this helps — definitely let us know how everything turns out! :)

Hey, I’m Ali!

And I’m so happy you’re here!! So many of my favorite memories in life seem to take place around the table, especially when surrounded by people I love. And of course, all the better when nourished by some seriously delicious food. So I created this site to share my favorite recipes and stories with you, in hopes that they might inspire and help us all to spend more time around the table and savor the good stuff in life. Cheers, friends! more about me »